Nearby Words
| Main Entry: |
unnerve
 [uhn-nurv] 
|
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | upset, intimidate |
| Synonyms: | agitate, bewilder, bowl over, buffalo, chill*, confound, daunt, demoralize, disarm, discombobulate, disconcert, discourage, dishearten, dismay, dispirit, distract, enervate, enfeeble, floor*, fluster, frighten, get to, give a turn, needle, perturb, psych out, rattle, ride, sap*, shake, spook, throw, throw off, uncalm, undermine, unhinge, unsettle, weaken |
| Antonyms: | encourage, nerve, steel, strengthen |
* = informal/non-formal usage
| Main Entry: | appall/appal |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | horrify |
| Synonyms: | alarm, amaze, astound, awe, consternate, daunt, disconcert, dishearten, dismay, faze, frighten, get to, gross out, insult, intimidate, outrage, petrify, scare, shake, shock, terrify, throw, unnerve |
| Antonyms: | comfort, encourage, reassure, satisfy |
| Main Entry: | appalling |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | horrifying |
| Synonyms: | alarming, astounding, awful, bad, daunting, dire, disheartening, dismaying, dreadful, fearful, formidable, frightening, frightful, ghastly, grim, grody, gross*, harrowing, heavy*, hideous, horrible, horrid, horrific, intimidating, mean, petrifying, scaring, shocking, terrible, terrifying, the end, unnerving |
| Antonyms: | comforting, encouraging, reassuring, satisfying |
* = informal/non-formal usage
Example Sentences
- By opening up my narrative, it invites speculation into private areas of my life that is quite unnerving.
- His risky, pause-free staging highlighted the unnerving concurrences between the plays.
- The display of muscle was almost equalled by the display of unnerving efficiency.
| Main Entry: | cow |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | browbeat, intimidate |
| Synonyms: | abash, appall, awe, bludgeon, bluster, buffalo, bulldoze, bully, daunt, discomfit, disconcert, dishearten, dismay, dragoon, embarrass, enforce, faze, frighten, hector, lean on, overawe, push around, rattle, scare, showboat, strong-arm, subdue, terrorize, turn on the heat, unnerve, walk heavy |
| Antonyms: | encourage, hearten, inspirit |
| Main Entry: | deaden |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | diminish, muffle, quiet |
| Synonyms: | KO, abate, alleviate, anesthetize, benumb, blunt, check, chloroform, consume, cushion, damp, dampen, depress, deprive, desensitize, destroy, devitalize, dim, dope, drown, dull, etherize, exhaust, freeze, frustrate, gas, hush, impair, incapacitate, injure, knock out, lay out, lessen, mute, numb, paralyze, put out of order, put to sleep, quieten, reduce, repress, retard, slow, smother, soften, stifle, stun, stupefy, suppress, tire, tone down, unnerve, weaken |
| Antonyms: | animate, build, enliven, increase, strengthen |
| Main Entry: | discourage |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | dishearten, dispirit |
| Synonyms: | abash, afflict, alarm, appall, awe, beat down, bother, break one's heart, bully, cast down, chill, confuse, cow, dampen, dash, daunt, deject, demoralize, deprecate, depress, dismay, disparage, distress, droop, frighten, intimidate, irk, overawe, prostrate, repress, scare, throw cold water on, trouble, try, unnerve, vex, weigh |
| Antonyms: | encourage, hearten, inspire, inspirit |
| Main Entry: | dismay |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | disappoint, fill with consternation |
| Synonyms: | abash, affright, agitate, alarm, appall, bewilder, bother, chill, confound, daunt, discomfit, discompose, disconcert, discourage, dishearten, disillusion, dispirit, disquiet, distress, disturb, dumbfound, embarrass, faze, flummox, fluster, foul up, frighten, get to, horrify, louse up, mess up*, muck up, mystify, nonplus, paralyze, perplex, put off, puzzle, rattle, scare, screw up, shake, snafu, take aback, terrify, terrorize, throw, throw into a tizzy, unhinge, unnerve, upset |
| Antonyms: | assure, encourage, make happy |
* = informal/non-formal usage
| Main Entry: | disquieting |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | upsetting |
| Synonyms: | annoying, bothersome, disconcerting, distressing, disturbing, irritating, perplexing, perturbing, troublesome, troubling, unnerving, unsettling, vexing, worrying |
| Antonyms: | calming, pleasing, settling, soothing |
| Main Entry: | disturb |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | bother, upset |
| Synonyms: | afflict, agitate, ail, alarm, amaze, annoy, arouse, astound, badger, burn up, complicate, confound, confuse, depress, discompose, dishearten, disrupt, distract, distress, excite, fluster, frighten, gall, grieve, harass, interfere, interrupt, intrude, irk, irritate, make uneasy, molest, muddle, outrage, pain, perplex, perturb, pester, pique, plague, provoke, puzzle, rattle, rouse, ruffle, shake, shake up, startle, tire, trouble, unhinge, unnerve, unsettle, vex, worry |
| Notes: | disturb is based on Latin turba 'tumult' and disturb applies better to physical agitation and perturb to mental agitation |
| Antonyms: | appease, calm, comfort, pacify, quiet, reassure, soothe |
Roget's 21st Century Thesaurus, Third Edition
Copyright © 2012 by the Philip Lief Group.
Cite This Source
Copyright © 2012 by the Philip Lief Group.
Cite This Source
Dictionary.com, LLC. Copyright © 2012. All rights reserved.
